[Culturechat] Churches in Europe

[Kraut907@aol.com]

In Germany, church and state are not separate as they are in the USA 
(although I've never understood how this works); in fact, the pastor of each 
church is a government employee and receives a salary and later a pension.
I can only speak for the Lutherans, and I don't know how the Catholic 
hierarchy works. This eliminates the need for the community to feed and house 
the pastor. It also gives the pastor more authority than he has in America; 
not every  decision has to go  through committees.
I went to a small church in the Harz Mountains for Sunday services. It was 
really crowded. As I learned, it was the 50th Confirmation celebration, and 
that explained the crowds.
Since the churches are governed  by the state, they are large , and there 
aren't as many as  we have here. I understand that  attendance is low.
Here in Washington, DC, I am a member of a German-speaking congregation 
consisting of old immigrants like myself, and German personnel from the 
Worldbank and the IMF, both of which ae next door. Our pastors are retired 
ministers fom Germany, and since we are merged with an American congegration, 
we have work within the committee and church council system. Naturally, a 
great attraction for us is the language factor. Although we are all fluent in 
English, it is very special to hear God's word in our mother tongue.
The African-American church, and there are many in Washington, historically 
has had a great social function, and still does.